When You Sell Your Soul
by Setfiregirl
Summary: When her dreams started, she'd never imagined that it'd cause THIS. Lina makes a deal with the devil; in a sense, she sells her soul. Summary doesn't do it justice; this is, in my opinion, my best story! Kinda darkish, but it does have a happy ending!
1. Prolouge: The Vow

**Disclaimer: **

Julia: we don't own Slayers. Please grip this fact: This is a FANFICTION site, not a fiction press site.

**A/N:**

Syerrah: Okay...Um...Hehehe, sorry about this fic...We kinda gave Reina free reign on this...It's gonna be kinda dark...but it WILL have a happy ending.

Reina: -snort- As if.

Angela: It WILL have a happy ending!

Julia: Please review!!

**When you sell** **your soul.**

**Chapter One: The Vow**

A dark mist hovered a few feet above the cold, damp stone floor of the giant throne room where a young red-headed woman knelt before the large, foreboding throne.

The oddest thing about this scene was the man who sat in the throne: he had deep, blood red eyes that seemed to stare right past your skin and into your very soul; his midnight black shaggy hair and pale complexion only added to the demonic look of the smirking man.

The girl looked slightly more natural, but only by a little.

If you were to see her from behind, she'd looked normal enough, but when you saw her face, she was almost as disturbing as the black-haired man.

In addition to her flaming red locks of hair, the young woman had eyes the color of rubies that looked hollow and life-less. If you had seen her only a couple months ago, she would have appeared to be a different person:

Her eyes would have shone like sparkling gems and looked full of life, radiant with happiness and energy.

The now slightly dull and limp fire-red hair would've been light and bouncy, often tossed over one shoulder in an act of supreme superiority.

Her pale and sunken face would have been bright and quite lively, full of confidence and joy.

Her attitude, which was quiet and almost loyally obedient, was once cheerful, sharp tongued and unafraid to speak her mind.

Perhaps the strangest thing about her was her outfit.

She wore a deep emerald tunic that perfectly complemented her hair and eyes, and a thin golden chain around her waist from which hung a small, finely decorated dagger.

Her dark leggings went all the way to her knees where they met the tops of her dark leather boots. A short mini-skirt went to just above her knees; a billowing, hooded cloak rested on her motionless form; a few golden bracelets and a sapphire ring on her left index finger accented her dark blood red gloves.

"…And I shall forever obey your orders without hesitation until the ends of time, or when I am freed from my vow…" the red-head murmured, head still bowed and eyes closed.

"Which, unfortunately for you, is not going to happen, as you are so much more amusing to keep around, Lina" the man sneered.

Lina glared at him. "I'm not a toy" she growled.

"Then what are you, my precious little firefly?" he asked mockingly.

Lina continued to glower at the man. Finally after a few minutes of silent glares, Lina broke the silence:

"Understand this, Falgorr: I'm only doing this fore one reason, and that is _not_ because I want to -or _will_- be a toy for anyone, much less _you_."

"But you _are _doing this, so do it right and finish" Falgorr ordered.

Lina scowled and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they had a glassy, empty look to them and the voice she spoke in next was hoarse and echoing.

"I, Lina Inverse, here forth pledge myself to Falgorr Metazo, and I shall forever obey your orders until the ends of time, or until you free me from my vow, or until the terms of our bonding have been broken." When Lina finished saying this, a huge gush of wind blew straight up from underneath her, sending her hair and cloak upwards as a black mist began to circle her.

Falgorr began to laugh, a cold, merciless laugh, as a similar wind blew around him, tossing his already slightly messy hair around his face.

His laughter echoed around the room as a single tear rolled down Lina's cheek.

* * *

Julia: PLEASE REVIEW!!

Angela: I know, we DID warn you that it is kinda dark...

Syerrah: But please keep reading!! It will get better!!

Reina: Or else...-evil glint in eye-


	2. Innocent Beginnings

Disclaimer: Syerrah: I do NOT own Slayers. I just own Angela and Julia.

Julia: SINCE WHEN DO YOU OWN ME?!

Angela: -pulls out Himitsu Kanashi- What she said...I'M NOT ANYONE'S POSSESSION!!

Syerrah: eheheheheh...

**When you sell your soul.**

**Chapter Two: Innocent Beginning.**

_**Two Months Earlier.**_

**-!-**

The town of Varley was always quite peaceful, as most towns in the outer world are. Occasionally a few stray travelers passed through there on their way to the city of Baren, an easy days travel from Varley; if they were lucky, maybe a priest would come through and bless the harvest.

And so, on a warm summer evening when the village children were out playing in the streets and the men were either in their fields or at their shops, no one was expecting _that. _

_**Boom.**_

A loud explosion sounded throughout the valley, scaring away all the animals and birds within a ten mile radius.

Just a few miles outside of Varley, a mushroom shaped cloud of dust gathered above the trees. A few shouts were heard -undistinguishable- followed by another explosion and a bang.

Several villagers called their children in from the streets and went into the streets to look for the source of the disturbance.

After about ten minutes, everybody went back to doing their business; only a few people continued to be on the lookout for any more unusual occurrences.

Some time later, two travelers wandered into town; one was a tall, handsome blond man, the other was a short red-headed girl who looked about sixteen; the red-head held a large sack full of what looked to be glittering objects.

The two made their way to the largest -and only- inn in the town. When they reached it, the red-head requested -well, more like _demanded-_ the two best quality rooms.

"--and if someone's already staying in them, kick them out or I will. I wand a nice soft bed tonight." She said, rubbing her forehead.

"Uh…Alright…There isn't anyone staying in the rooms…..So we won't have to kick anyone out….." the innkeeper muttered and handed the room keys to the pair. "By the way, did you happen to notice anything strange as you passed through the forest?"

The girl blinked. "No, why?"

"Well, there was an explosion not to long ago, and I was wondering if you might have noticed anything that could have caused it." he told them.

The blond chuckled and the red-head shrugged. The blond bend over and whispered something in the girl's ear; it sounded like he said '--scared them'. The girl simply shrugged.

"Well, don't worry about the explosion, I was only blowing up a small group of would-be-bandits. Nothing to worry about" the red-head assured him, then turned to her companion. "Gourry, it's your turn to pay." She said sweetly.

"Aw, Lina, I paid the last two times." He complained "And you have all the money that we got from those bandits"

Lina gave a devilish grin, "But I did all the work! And I pay for all our meals too! I deserve a break once and a while!"

Gourry narrowed his eyes. "What meals do you pay for? _I _pay for_ everything."_

Lina smiled sheepishly "Well I still do all the work, and you do all the paying. There, we both have a job."

"Lina…." Gourry said warningly. "You keep all the money we get from bandits; I don't have any more left."

"Not my problem" Lina waved him off.

Gourry sighed. He waited until she turned to inspect the bulletin board next to the front desk, then reached forward and plucked a small leather bag of coins from the sack she carried.

Lina spun around and looked at Gourry suspiciously, then turned to look at the innkeeper, who was now staring at them and sputtering.

Gourry too looked at the innkeeper and handed him the money for the rooms. "Is something wrong?"

"E-excuse me, but did I hear you right when you said _you _caused the explosion by blowing up bandits?" the innkeeper asked Lina

Lina blinked "Yeah, so?"

"Just who are you?!" he demanded

Lina paused. "Ever heard of Lina Inverse?" she asked

The innkeeper frowned "Yes, she's very famous here in the Outer World."

Lina smiled "Well, you're looking at her." Gourry just sighed and turned toward the stairs.

"Y-you mean you're Lina Inverse?!" Lina nodded, "the Bandit Slayer, the most powerful sorceress ton the face of this earth?!" Lina nodded again, "The walking force of destruction, Enemy of all who live?!" Here Lina drew the line:

"If some much as one more person calls me 'Dragon Spooker', 'Walking Force of Destruction' or 'Enemy of all who live' I will Dragon Slave the whole kingdom from here to the Sea of Chaos." Lina growled.

"I'd listen to her; she WILL do it." Gourry warned the innkeeper in a whisper.

The innkeeper chuckled nervously and tugged at the collar of his shirt..

"Hmph" Lina marched upstairs to her room with a slight toss of her hair.

* * *

The next morning Lina and Gourry left early, heading for Baren.

"Hey, give us all your money and you won't die to painfully!" a shout came from a tree, out of which jumped a bandit.

Lina and Gourry kept walking.

"Don't think you can run away!" he called and a group of fellow bandits jumped out and blocked their path.

Lina and Gourry kept walking.

"H-Hey! Come back here so we can rob you!" the leader yelled after them.

"Fireball." Lina said, bored. A ball of fire sprung from her outstretched hand and zoomed at the bandits, pausing just before it hit them; the terrified bandits stared in horror as the glowing fireball exploded in front of them.

Lina and Gourry kept walking.

A few minutes later Gourry spoke. "Hey Lina, why didn't you take their treasure?" he asked curiously.

Lina shrugged. "They looked to poor to have anything good. Besides, I'm tired."

It was about noon when Lina and Gourry reached Baren, casually strolling through town as Lina stopped every once and a while to go into a shop.

They were only starting to search for a restaurant when Lina saw a familiar blond woman up ahead in the busy market place.

"Hey, Lina, is that…?" Gourry started to say.

A shifty looking black haired man approached the blond and reached for her money purse.

The woman spun around to face the pickpocket and pulled a giant mace from underneath her skirt; she screeched and started to beat up the would-be-robber, yelling about his nerve of trying to steal from her.

Lina broke out into laughter. "Yup, that's Filia…." She looked at Gourry. "What do you think, should we surprise her?"

"Oh, yes, Fi-chan loves surprises!" A cheerful voice said from behind them.

Lina raised an eyebrow and turned to see Xelloss teleport next to them. "Are you sure it's not you who loves Filia being surprised?"

"Well that is a secret!"

Lina rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be off destroying things?"

"No, that's your job" Xelloss beamed.

Lina glared at him and Gourry sighed. "Lina, he's just trying to get you mad."

"I'm doing more then trying…." Xelloss grinned.

Lina sniffed and then turned her back to Xelloss. "OI! Filia! Stop beating up that guy and get ride of this pile of trash!" she called.

Filia spun around "Miss Lina, Mister Gourry!" her eyes narrowed. "Xelloss" she spat.

Xelloss just smiled. "Hello Fi-Chan! Good to see you!"

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Filia yelled and swung her mace at Xelloss' head.

The trickster priest teleported out of the way and floated above her head, out of reach.

Filia glared at Xelloss; she took a deep, calming breath and turned to face Lina and Gourry, smiling.

"It's so good to see you two again! How have you been?" Filia exclaimed, ignoring Xelloss completely.

Lina smiled back. "We're just wandering…As usual. I didn't know you lived here."

"Oh yes, I run a shop now" she beamed.

"What kind of shop, a tea café?" Gourry asked.

Xelloss smirked. "Close. A Mace'n'Vace shop."

Lina sweat dropped. "Wha--?"

"Oh yes! It's so wonderful! I know! Would you like to join me for tea?" Filia asked energetically, "We can have cake and cookies too!"

"Cake?" Lina repeated.

"Cookies?" Gourry asked, drool appearing.

"We'd love to!" they both said at the same time.

Filia sweat dropped.

Ten minutes later, Lina, Gourry and Filia sat in the living room of Filia's small house, sipping tea and devouring sweets, Filia having slammed the door in Xelloss' face when he tried to follow them into the house.

"So what have you been up to?" Lina asked

"Well," Filia took a sip of tea, "Nothing exciting; I've just been minding my shop."

"How often does Xelloss come to bother you?" Gourry munched on a sugary cookie.

Filia sighed. "Twice a week. Sometimes three; if I'm lucky, he'll have a mission and only come once, but that's not too often."

Lina sighed as well. "I don't know how you put up with him."

"Neither do I" Filia said dryly.

Lina and Gourry both chuckled.

Xelloss appeared above Filia's head and pouted. "Aw, Fi-chan, do you hate me that much? Wait…Don't answer that…."

Filia glared at him.

"Want some tea Xelloss?" Lina asked, holding up the tea pot.

"Why, yes, thank you, I do." He replied, floating onto the couch next to Filia; the Ex-Dragon priestess huffed and scooted to the other side of the couch.

"So Lina, how have you and Gourry been?" Xelloss sipped his tea, ignoring Filia's glares.

"The same as I told Filia. Nothing life or death has happened lately. I'm actually getting suspicious about that…." Lina responded.

"Hmm, so your life is boring at the moment?" Xelloss inquired.

Lina snorted. "It can _**stay **_that way. I mean first Shabranigdo and copy Rezo, then Gaav and Phibrizo and just a few months after that, DarkStar. I just want to lie around and do nothing. You know, let _Luna _save the world, it being _her _job and all."

"But the defeat of DarkStar was almost three months ago; you're still recovering from that?" Filia said, taking a sip of her ever-present tea.

Lina shrugged. "After all the stuff I've done in the past four years, I want at _least_ a full year to rest…I mean, I've fought two Mazoku Lords, a piece of Ruby Eye Shabranigdo himself, the Demon Beast Zanafar, an Ancient Dragon/Mazoku, DarkStar and countless other Mazoku that want me dead, not to mention all the crazy beasts and weird stuff that seems to follow me and Gourry around the world. It's like I'm a bulls-eye for this kinda stuff." Lina sighed, then finished her cup of tea. "More please!" she said, holding her cup out to Filia.

Filia took Lina's cup silently and frowned. "It _does _seem like you've had to deal with a lot, what with all the 'save the world' situations you've been but through. Not to mention all the _horrid_ Mazoku after you."

Xelloss pouted. "You say Mazoku as if we're garbage or something."

"Because that's what you are, _**Namagomi**_" Filia growled at Xelloss ((Note: For all you people out there who don't know Japanese, Namagomi means, literally, Raw Rubbish/Uncooked Garbage/ect…))

"Well if I'm a namagomi, you're Eki-koushin" Xelloss countered. ((Note: Once again, for all you people who don't know Japanese, Eki-Koushin means Lizard Lips.))((A/N: I heard somewhere that Xelloss calls Filia Lizard Lips in Japanese…..I'm not sure how he says it, so I just put that there.))

Lina sighed and began to converse with Gourry as Filia whipped out her mace and chased Xelloss around the room.

After nearly an hour, Filia finally managed to catch Xelloss and beat him up. She sat down and picked up her tea cup, not noticing it had gotten cold.

"So, where are you two headed?" Filia smiled. Somewhere behind her, Xelloss groaned and tried to peel himself off the floor where Filia had plastered him.

"Oh, quit making so much noise!" Filia whacked Xelloss over the head with a throw pillow.

Lina sweat dropped.

"You were saying?" Filia turned back to them.

Lina _and _Gourry sweat dropped. "Well, we're still looking for a replacement sword for Gourry since the temporary one he has right now keeps breaking. It's just too cheaply made for Gourry's strength." Lina began.

By the time Lina had finished recapping some unimportant adventures they'd had since DarkStar, Xelloss had recovered completely and was once again seated next to Filia, Gourry had fallen asleep, and it was dark outside.

"Wow, you two seem to always be mixed up in _something_" Filia said sympathetically as Lina finished telling her about a Mazoku that had tried to steal Lina's Demon Blood Talismans.

Lina groaned. "That's what I'm saying! We never get any peace, right Gourry? Gourry?" Lina turned to Gourry "What're you--asleep?" She sighed and muttered "Figures."

Filia smiled. "You can't but help think he looks adorable like that."

Lina blinked and looked back at Gourry. His long golden hair was slightly tousled and his tanned face was calm and peaceful. Gourry's perfectly developed swordsman body was slouched and his head was tilted to one side, his mouth hung open slightly. Lina couldn't help but smile at her adorable jellyfish companion.

Filia clapped her hands in delight. "I know! Why don't you two spend the night here?! I have some guest rooms you could stay in; I'm sure you'd be perfectly comfortable there!"

Xelloss snickered. "Fi-Filly, your tail is out." He said in a sing-song voice. Filia 'eeped' and held her hands over her bottom to hide her tail.

Lina stared at them. "_**Fi-Filly**_? Never heard THAT one before…"

"Well, she doesn't like Fi-chan, so I tried Filly; she _still _didn't like that -her being picky and all- so once I was trying to figure out which one to use and I started to say Fi-Chan, then changed to Filly, and thus Fi-Filly!" Xelloss explained.

"And she let's you call her _that_? Personally, I'd pick FI-Chan…" Lina muttered.

"No I do NOT! He just won't stop!" Filia yelled, brandishing her mace, cheeks pink, tail waving behind her, a furious look on her face.

Amazingly enough, Gourry slept on. He must have been quite tired. Either that or he was used to sleeping in the woods with Lina and hearing her snore and had simply adjusted to sleeping through almost anything.

Lina rolled her eyes. "All right kids, settle down."

"Who're you calling kids?!" Xelloss and Filia yelled at the same time, looked at each other, then 'hmphed' and looked in opposite directions."

"Both of you are acting like 5-year-olds with to much strength. Or would you rather me tall the truth and call you both thousand-year-old spoiled brats?" Lina asked, one eyebrow raised delicately.

Both Filia and Xelloss started to protest, but Lina silenced them with a look.

The young sorceress then turned to Gourry and hit him over the head with one of Filia's peach colored throw pillows. "Oi! Yogurt brains! Wake up, we're staying here tonight."

Gourry blinked, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes. "Then why're you waking me up?" he asked groggily, rubbing one eye.

"Because there's a bed upstairs for you to sleep in. Besides, if you stay here you'll get caught in the cross fire." Lina pointed to Filia and Xelloss. The two non-humans were sending lighting bold glares at each other and looked close to breaking out into a fight.

"R-right…" Gourry swallowed and then sped up the stairs, Lina close behind.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

Angela: Okay, so...yeah...this is mostly a filler chapter...

Syerrah: We promise the next chapter will be more exiting!!

Julia: We just had to put this in there...oh, and whenever you see this: **-!-**Go back or forward in time, okay?

Angela: Erm...let ME explain: when you see **-!-** It's changed timelines. So at the begining of this chapter, that ment that we went back in the story. If you see another one, it means that the story went back to the present, when Lina's made that deal...

Syerrah: If that still doesn't make sense...Well, the first chapter was in timeline A, the present. The **-!-** at the begining of this chapter means that we went to timeline B, the past. When you next see **-!-** it will mean we've gone to timeline A again, and when it shows up _again _we've gone back to timeline B, where it will pick up where we last left timeline B at. Sorry if this is confusing...-.-'


	3. The Dreams of Those Who Are Doomed

**Author's Note**: Angela: Okay...so here's the next chapter...

Syerrah: Originally it was gonna be longer, but that was too long, and it didn't have an appropriate stopping place so...We're making this one shorter and the next one will be longer. :)

Julia: REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!

Angela: If you do, you get cookies!

Syerrah: If you don't, you get a guilt trip...heheh...

Julia: And if you can't decide, we give you puppy eyes!

-all three nod-

**Disclaimer: **Reina: We own Slayers. I own Xelloss.

Xelloss: Eh?! Erm...can't Olivia own me?

Syerrah: Do you WANT to be smothered by good emotions?

Xelloss: How about...YOU own me?

Angela: -sigh- None of us own anything...

**When You Sell Your Soul**

**Chapter Three: The Dreams of Those Who Are Doomed.**

**-!-**

_Gourry choked, desperately trying to draw breath, fighting against the invisible hand choking him._

_Lina yelled and threw Gourry's sword at the dark figure in front of her as she ran to Gourry's side._

_Gourry dropped the ground, panting for breath. He murmured his thanks to Lina, massaging his throat gently. _

_The figure across from them chuckled darkly; a wave of flames engulfed Gourry and the blond began to twitch uncontrollably._

_Lina felt her common sense disappear as she watched Gourry's life slowly drain. "No, NO, _**NO!!**_"__She begged, hopelessly trying to think of a way out of the mess she'd gotten them into this time._

_The shouts of Amelia and Zelgadis were muffled by the horror of what was happening._

_A high, cold, laugh echoed around the clearing._

_Somehow she snapped back to attention as Gourry flew into a tree. With a growl, she jumped to her feet. The man sighed, then grinned. Zelgadis dropped to the ground with a yelp of pain, a large hole in his middle. Amelia screamed as a black mist gathered around her._

"_Stop it!" Lina yelled, subconsciously drawing on some unknown power._

_The figure sighed again and the mist around Amelia dissipated. "Very well," he grumbled._

_Lina's chest ached as she pleaded to L-Sama herself for some miracle to get them out of this._

* * *

Lina sat up with a start.

_Argh, that dream again. I almost wish I could just lay down and forget everything. _She thought with a scowl, then sighed.

_But then…..No, I don't want that either. _Lina groaned and rubbed her forehead with her palms. _All I want is to wake up and find out this was just a dream._

With a frustrated growl, Lina threw herself onto her bead and let the tears roll down her cheeks. _Why couldn't I have had a normal life? All I wanted to do was travel the world, rob bandits and get rich. But no, my life just _can't _be that east. I have to save the world, get attacked by high-class Mazoku, rescue my friends from Dark Lords; And now this._

Lina watched light from the wall torch reflect off of the jewelry laying on her bed-side table. _I guess it's my fault. It always is. I was strong enough to get Falgorr's attention, but not strong enough to protect everyone….Not strong enough to protect Gourry…._

Lina's silent tears soon turned into small sobs, and she wrapped her arms around her legs, buried her face in her knees and cried.

When she was done, Lina rolled off her bed and went to the water basin on her desk. The red-head paused and looked at her reflection.

Lina's hair was dark and limp; her eyes were red and swollen. There was even small bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep she'd been getting, caused by the ever constant nightmares.

Lina abruptly scooped up some of the water and splashed her face. She didn't want to see what she'd become or what changes had taken place.

The sorceress shook the water from her face and began to brush her hair, not daring to let her mind wander back to a happier time.

"Hurry up and get to the throne room; I have a job for you." A sudden voice broke into Lina's thoughts, echoing around in her head.

With a growl, Lina slammed her hairbrush onto the table, breaking it clean in half. "Falgorr, I thought I said _not _to talk directly into my head!" she snarled, face murderous

"I apologize, my little firefly. Now hurry up, I don't have all day." Falgorr ordered impatiently.

Lina growled again and stomped out of her room and to down the stone hallway towards where Falgorr waited.

The door slammed shut with an echoing 'thud' as Lina entered the throne room and kneeled before Falgorr.

"I have a job for you" Falgorr smirked.

Lina, with great difficulty, managed not to roll her eyes. "You said that already."

"Go change into these." Falgorr tossed Lina a package, "You're going to Zephilia. There's something there I want you to get."

Lina froze, nearly dropping the package. "Wha-wha- what?!" she numbly opened the package to find an exact replica of her old traveling outfit; the only difference was the bandana which she'd used to wear around her chest was now deep red.

"Don't worry; your sister is in Saillune at the moment. You'll be fine….more or less….Now go, and be quick about it." Falgorr waved a hand in dismissal.

Lina didn't know if she should be relieved by knowing that she wouldn't have to face Luna, or scared knowing she was in Saillune and would most certainly have heard about Lina's latest problem from Amelia and Zel.

Silently she bowed and returned to her room to change, eyes still wide with fright.

By the time she set out, the sun was nearly directly above her and it was hot.

Putting her discomfort aside, Lina tried to think up a plan to avoid her parents at all costs; who knows what would happen if she ran into them.

**-!-**

* * *

_There was a loud crash, followed by a scream._

"_Amelia!" Lina yelled_

_The young princess was lifted off her feet and blown backwards into a window, which shattered and sent tiny fragments of glass flying in every direction._

"_Amelia!" Zelgadis yelled as he rand to Amelia's side._

_Blood poured from Amelia's back and her hair was a tangled mess of blood and glass._

_A black haze shot up from underneath Zel as soon as he pulled Amelia into his arms to heal her._

_With a short yell of pain, the mist blocked Zel from sight completely, then cleared after a few seconds to reveal the lifeless bodies of Amelia and Zelgadis._

_Lina cried out in shock then spun towards Gourry._

_The blond looked at Lina and then to where Zel and Amelia's dead bodies lay, his eyes horrified._

"_Gourry…" Lina whispered, dreading what she knew was coming._

_Suddenly Gourry dropped to his knees and clutched his chest, panting._

"_Gourry!" Lina screamed and dashed to his side. "Gourry! Say something! Gourry!"_

_Gourry slowly lifted his head and looked at Lina; he murmured her name softly and lifted one hand to touch her cheek._

"_Gourry…" Gourry's eyes widened, then scrunched closed in pain. "GOURRY!" Lina screamed. "No, you can't--Gourry!"_

_Gourry's muscles tensed, then he collapsed to the ground, dead._

_Lina felt a part of her fall with Gourry, and the tears began to flow. "No…Gourry…."_

_Lina threw back her head and screamed into the lifeless night, tears streaming down her face as she howled in anguish._

* * *

Lina awoke the sound of someone screaming as she sat up in bed, Xelloss leaning over her with a nearly worried look on his face. After a few seconds, Lina realized that it was _her _screaming, and she stopped, eyes wide with horror.

There was a thud from the next room as Gourry fell out of bed and dashed into Lina's room, a concerned look on his face.

Lina!" What happened?" Gourry asked as Filia ran into the room, mace in hand.

"What is it Miss Lina?" Filia demanded, eyes suspiciously falling on Xelloss, whose hands were still on Lina's shoulders.

Xelloss frowned. "Lina, I don't think I've ever sensed so much fear coming from you….At least not since Phibrizo…" he trailed off, still looking slightly worried.

Lina looked around as her pants slowed to normal breaths. "Nothing's wrong; bad dream, go back to bed." she whispered, voice hoarse from screaming.

Gourry looked at Lina oddly. "Lina, you wake us up by screaming like you did when Filia gave you that letter from your sister, and then you tell us it was a bad dream and to _go to bed_?" he said incredulously. "I don't think so"

"Gourry is right Lina," Xelloss murmured. "I could feel your fear from Wolf-Pack Island, and I wasn't even trying. That was no ordinary 'bad dream' "

"So you…came here to wake Miss Lina up from her nightmare?" Filia watched Xelloss, her face turning from suspicious to curious in a moment.

Xelloss nodded slowly, eyes slightly wary.

"Well that was….a half-way decent thing to do…" Filia blinked and continued to stare curiously as Xelloss muttered about Filia making him sound like a bad guy.

"Lina..Are you alright?" Gourry asked, frowning in worry.

Lina hesitated. "I-I'm fine...It was just a dream about…About Phibrizo. I'll be fine." She looked away quickly, afraid Gourry would see that she was lying.

Filia looked at Lina closely. "Are you sure you're alright?"

The red-head nodded. "I'm sure, just go back to bed."

With a reluctant pause, Filia exited the room, dragging Xelloss by the ear; Gourry, however, hesitated.

"Lina…" Gourry crossed over to the bed and gave the surprised Lina a short hug, "Good night Lina." He whispered before leaving quickly.

Any other time, Lina would have fire-balled Gourry for hugging her, but now she was somewhat glad; she needed to know tat Gourry would always be there for her.

Still, when she lay back down, Lina could not help but feel alone. She laid awake the rest of the night, not wanting to fall back into the clutches of her nightmares.

* * *

The next morning Gourry sat up in bed and yawned, a vague feeling that something unusual had happened the previous night.

Then in a flash, he remembered Lina and her 'bad dream' from the night before.

With a frown, Gourry got out of bed and wondered for about the tenth time what kind of dream could have possible terrified Lina so much.

Sighing, Gourry got dressed and went downstairs to find Filia making tea and breakfast in the kitchen.

"Good morning Mr. Gourry!" Filia greeted him while pouring herself a cup of tea.

"'Morning." Gourry yawned again. "Is Lina up?"

Filia's smile dropped. "No…I didn't see her get up…"

Another yawn came from the door way as Lina stumbled into the room; the tired young woman dropped into a chair and lay her head on the kitchen table. "Morning." She mumbled.

Gourry and Filia looked worriedly at her.

"Hey, Lina, are you alright?" Gourry asked, watching her carefully.

"Mh….Fine, fine…" Lina yawned again, eyes closed, now using her arms as a pillow.

"Lina…Did you get any sleep after that dream last night?" Filia spoke as she poured Lina and Gourry some tea.

"No…I couldn't sleep after that…" she sleepy sorceress responded with yet another yawn.

Gourry frowned. "But you've stayed up all night before…why did this time make you so tired?"

Lina's eyes remained closed and her voice was barely audible when she answered. "I didn't sleep the night before, or the night before that either; darn nightmares have been keeping me up all week, Jellyfish."

Filia's eyes widened, "You've been having nightmares all week?!"

Lina blinked and sat up. "Who told you I've been having nightmares?!"

Gourry stared at her in disbelief. "You did, just a few seconds ago."

"No I didn't!...Did I?" She frowned and looked between Filia and Gourry.

They both nodded, then looked at each other, both thinking the same thing: _She's way to tired if she can't remember what she's saying. _

Lina sighed, "Darn nightmares…" she muttered again.

Gourry put a hand on Lina's shoulder. "Lina, why didn't you tell me you were having nightmares?"

The red-head shrugged and looked away, mumbling something about not wanting to worry people.

"Well, who knew Lina would be so considerate about worrying other people!" Xelloss said cheerfully, appearing next to Filia's head and circling around her as if he was on an orbit.

A vein appeared on Filia's forehead and her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Xelloss….."

Lina blinked and glanced at Xelloss, who was currently avoiding Filia's mace.

Gourry smiled slightly. "They'll never change…" he said quietly.

Lina shook her head and grabbed a cup of tea from the table as Filia and Xelloss continued to do what they did best: Fight.

* * *

After breakfast was consumed, and the fighting stopped, a zombie Lina was sent up to bed after having tried to consume her fork and Gourry's fingernail.

Gourry watched her go worriedly, rubbing his bitten finger absently. "I can't think of anything that would have made her suddenly have nightmares about Phibrizo….She hasn't dreamed about that in almost a year…."

"Then we have to assume she's lying about the subject of her nightmares, and there's something else that is bothering her." Xelloss said, nibbling on a cookie he got from who-knows-where.

Filia sighed, "I wish we could do something….according to her, she's been having nightmares all week…..Or at least….they've been keeping her up all week…she might have been having them before…"

Xelloss looked at Gourry, "has she mentioned anything about bad dreams, or seemed tired, or anything?

Gourry shook his head, "No…wait, yesterday she beat up some bandits and didn't liberate any treasure from them; when I asked her why, she said it was because she was tired…."

"Hm…." They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Xelloss stood up abruptly. "Well, I'd love to stay and discuss the source of Lina-san's nightmares, but Lord Beastmaster wishes me to go destroy things; Ja ne!" And with that, he was gone.

Filia glared at the spot where he disappeared. "Some help he is…" she muttered.

Abruptly she stood up. "I have to go open my store….Sorry Mr. Gourry…." She apologized.

Gourry blinked, "Eh? Oh, that's alright, I'll go check on Lina…"

Filia watched him go with a slight smile on her face before she hurried to her shop and started to open the lovely, quant, little Mace'n'Vase shop.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Julia: -takes deep breath- RE--

Reina: -clamps hand over Julia's mouth- Let me handle this. -turns to face viewers- Review or else. -evil glare-

Angela: Reina, you're going to scare them away!!

Reina: -shrugs and walks off-

Syerrah: erm...-.-; Please review!

Olivia: -puppy eyes- Please review?

Angela: -grabs Reina and pulls her back- Please review?

Julia: PLEASE REVIEW, PLEASE REVIEW, PLEASE REVIEW!

Reina: ...Review...-walks off again-


	4. The Coming of The End

**Disclaimer: **

Angela: We do not own Slayers. We WISHED we did...but...we do not....

All minus Reina: -cry-

* * *

**Author's Note: **

Syerrah: A thousand apologies!! -bows- We are SO sorry we didn't upload this chapter before!!

Angela: It's not that we've abandoned this story! But....To be truthful.....We were kinda distracted a little bit with our obsession over the Twilight Saga....-sweatdrop-

Julia: -stares dreamily at poster of Edward-

Angela: -smacks- stop that! -hands picture of Gourry-

Julia: -drools- GOURRY!!!

Syerrah: -sweatdrop- Don't worry, we're not abandoning the story....we actually have everything but the epilogue written, but not typed up onto the computer...which would actually be the delay...

Angela: You see, even though we can type over 60 WPM, changing the story at certain points, correcting grammar, and editing take a while, and to tell the truth, we havn't been trying as hard as we could....

Syerrah: There's just something about our best friend threatening to take away our MP3 player if we don't get on to FaceBook or Myspace to talk to her nearly everyday that draws our attention away from our Fanfics.....

Julia: MY MP3 PLAYER!!! -hugs MP3 player and nuzzles it-

Angela and Syerrah: -sweatdrop- Uhm...On with the story...we're sure you certainly didn't come here to watch Julia smother our MP3 player with kisses......

* * *

Syerrah: OH! Before we forget! I believe we promised cookies to faithful reviewers, so a great big thank you to Vael and Cyberimp6, who were the only one's to review last chapter....

Angela: An extra special super large cookie to Vael, who has reviewed ever chapter!! n.n Thanks!!

Syerrah: Oh, and Olivia cooked those cookies herself, and she's the best cook I've even known, so I hope you enjoy! n.-

* * *

**When You Sell Your Soul**

**Chapter Four:**

**The Coming of the End.**

Lina glanced around nervously as she entered Zeph City, on the lookout for anyone who might recognize her -- pretty much everyone.

Despite the fact that she was here against her way and trying not to be noticed, it did bring a good feeling to be home.

Lina wondered absently where the thing she was supposed to get for Falgorr was as she turned down a side street and then into an ally way. Leaning up against the wall of a building next to her, she sighed, considering her options.

"…And then papa told me to go home before he got angry….but he already was, so I hurried up and went…" A familiar voice broke into Lina's thoughts as two girls walked past the entrance to the ally Lina was hiding in.

Lina blinked and instinctively stepped back into the shadows to avoid being seen. After the pair of chatting girls had passed, Lina poked her head out of the ally and stared at them. One of the girls, a tall blond, paused and turned halfway around as she heard Lina.

"Lina….Chan…?" she murmured, confused. Then she blinked as Lina disappeared back into the dark alley.

The girl blinked again and backtracked to stand at the entrance of the ally.

"What is it?" Her friend asked and joined her at the ally entrance; together they both peered into the unused passageway.

"I thought I saw…never mind, let's go." She responded, and together they continued down the road.

Lina breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the two girls from the top of a roof. _I've got to be more careful…If Mika saw me, I just know she would tell ane-san…. _Lina scolded herself for letting her sister's co-worker see her.

Lina sighed and levitated down from the building she'd retreated to after Mika had seen her. _Darnit, what is this stupid thing I have to get? I don't even know _what _it is, let alone _where _to find it…._ Lina walked down a familiar street, not really noticing where she was going.

Lina blinked and finally regained awareness to her surroundings

She was standing in front of her parents' store.

Lina bit her lip. _Mom is probably working right now… _She thought to herself as she hesitated before walking up to the door.

After another moment's hesitation, Lina reached forward and turned to doorknob, quietly entering the shop.

There was no one in the store now and Lina was glad. _She must be in the back…._ Lina's gaze drifted over all the items lining the shelves, enveloped in memories of her child hood.

When she was about seven or younger, she used to help her parents in the store, though she'd never been able to do much other then greet the customers and sweep the floors.

Slowly Lina ran her hands over a shelf where she'd once dropped a jar of some purplish liquid (she'd never been told what it was), causing the wood to turn pure white.

A noise from behind Lina startled her and she nearly dropped the tin of cookies she had picked up and she spun around to face the back of the shop.

Lina saw a flash of red hair, a more brown than her own, before she was tackled to the ground in a hug.

"Lina!! Oh sweetie! Where have you been?! I haven't seen you in six and a half years! Your father and I have been so worried!! Next time you decide to run away, write to us!" after nearly five minutes of being strangled by her mother, Lina finally managed to pull back.

"Honey? Are you alright? You look pale…and skinnier than I remember…" Her mother frowned. "Have you been eating properly?"

Lina's gaze blurred she broke down sobbing, the overwhelming past two months finally caught up with her; she sobbed.

"Lina? Sweetie? What is it? What happened?!" a worried look replaced the joyful one. "Lina…? I can't make it better if you don't tell me what's wrong…"

"Mama….I'm so sorry…for everything…!" Lina sobbed into her mother's shoulder.

Not many things in life surprised Lana Inverse. She had seen the world at a young age, and therefore knew how to handle what was thrown her way. Sure, a few things here and there caught her off guard -such as Luna's apparent fancy for another young man who worked with her-, but she usually knew what to do when something out of the ordinary.

She hadn't been terribly surprised when Lina had started traveling at only 13 --Lana herself had traveled from ages 16 to 19.

However, Lana Inverse was surprised and very worried when Lina had appeared in the family store and proceeded to sob her heart out over who-knows-what.

Even when she was little, Lina hadn't been one to come crying to her mother if something was wrong; neither of her daughters had. She had raised them to fight if something wasn't going their way.

Lana didn't wonder what trouble Lina had gotten herself into for very long before her maternal instincts kicked in and she wrapped Lina in a hug and lead her into the back of the shop, where she sat on a couch and pulled Lina into her lap, stroking her daughter's fiery-red hair.

"Now honey, tell me what's wrong.." Lana soothed gently.

Lina finally quieted her sobs enough to be cohort and she whipped her eyes on the back of her hand, pulling herself onto the arm of the couch.

A small chocked noise came from Lina as she took a deep breath. With a small shudder, Lina began to explain; she skimmed through her earliest adventures, going into more detail about her travels with her old problem -ahem, partner- Naga the White Serpent. Sliding over the Phibrizo incident, she made it to after DarkStar before she began to sob again.

"Lina? What is it? Are you alright…?" Lana asked worriedly, brushing her hand gently across Lina's cheek.

Lina shook her head and continued to cry, a whimper escaping her lips.

_Do it, Lina….I need it. _An image of a small red amulet hanging from a thin golden chain flashed before Lina's eyes, accompanying the cold whisper that echoed through her head.

Lina screamed and threw her head back as her whole body tensed up. Her skin turned a pale white and a strangely blank look crossed Lina's face, her eyes now wide and unseeing.

"Lina!" Lana reached for the screaming girl's arm; the older woman jerked her hand back in shock: Lina's whole body was putting off a deadly amount of Demonic Magic; touching Lina was out of the question unless you had a wish to die in one of the most painful ways imaginable.

Lina's body, if possible, stiffened more and she began to convulse. After a few seconds, she collapsed to the floor, white and unmoving. One word came from her lips. "Falgorr"

Lana stared in shock at her youngest daughter's unresponsive body. Lina wasn't breathing.

"Shimata…This can't be good." A voice from behind Lana muttered.

Lana spun around and looked behind her. Xelloss Mettalium, the Lesser Beast, General and Priest of Beastmaster Zelas, was standing behind her.

Xelloss disappeared in a flash and reappeared by Lina's side. "Lina, wake up.." he said urgently, shaking one of Lina's shoulders gently. "C'mon, wake _up._"

There was no response.

Xelloss let out a low growl. "Fine, be that way…" he raised one gloved finger and a light blue orb of glowing energy gathered above his index finger.

Lana blinked. "What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded and took a step forward, paying no attention to the small warning glance he shot her out of the corner of his eyes.

"Saving your daughter's life." He said, no humor in his voice, eyes dead serious.

Xelloss reached forward and touched the blue orb to the base of Lina's throat; Lina's body jerked and relaxed, a bit of color returning to her face as she let out a shallow gasp.

Lana breathed a sigh of relief. _At least she's breathing again. _"What--?How--?" Lana seemed incapable of speaking.

Xelloss sighed. "It's a long story, and I don't have very much time…" he sighed again and looked at the door. "Your husband is back."

Sure enough, a few seconds later, the door that linked the back of the store to the rest of the house opened to reveal a man with black hair and a slightly worn face.

"Lana, I'm--What the--who--_**Lina?!**_" he looked from Lana to Xelloss to Lina and back to Lana, clearly waiting for an explanation.

Lana shook her head and looked at Xelloss. "I don't care how much time you have; you're not leaving this house until you give us an explanation."

Xelloss hesitated, not doubting for a minute the seriousness of that statement, and then nodded "Alright."

Lana turned back to Tregg. "Sweetie, would you close the shop for me? I'm taking Lina to her room."

"Uh, sure…" Tregg blinked.

Xelloss closed his eyes firmly before reaching down and scooping Lina up, shifting her to his back as if she weighed no more than a bag of flour.

"What did you do to her?" Lana demanded anxiously, leading Xelloss towards the stairs.

"Negated the Demonic Magic in her. The only thing I can do…" he said quietly, his voice slightly pained.

**-!-**

_A crash, the sound of glass breaking and screams. A high, childish like laughter. Gourry's white face as the crystal that encased him began to shatter._

_Pain. _

_Mind-numbing pain as a thousand red needles shot into her, slicing through her skin._

Lina awoke, shaking uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face.

The dreams had been becoming more and more frequent. They had started just a few days after the DarkStar campaign, usually just once a week. Then three times a week, then every other day. Now Lina was having reoccurring nightmares every night.

It was as if there was someone trying to get at Lina and rip out pieces of her heart.

Lina sat, panting, on her bed until the early rays of sunlight peeked through the curtains of Filia's guest room.

After a few moments, Lina got up, changed and quietly crept downstairs to Filia's kitchen, where she made herself a cup of tea. (She was actually going for some breakfast, but all she could find was tea)

Lina sat in silence at Filia's kitchen table, sipping a warm cup of tea for about an hour, thinking.

A sound in the doorway startled Lina out of her revere, and she looked up to see Filia standing in the entryway with a sympathetic look on her face.

In a graceful bound, Filia crossed to the table, sat across from Lina and poured herself a cup of tea. "Another nightmare, huh?" Filia asked quietly.

Lina nodded miserably.

"So when did they start?" Filia looked at Lina over the rim of her teacup.

The tired sorceress rubbed her forehead. "They got frequent about a month ago. It used to be once a week, then they just started getting more and more often"

Filia looked at her worriedly. "Why didn't you tell someone? Like Gourry?"

Lina let out a snort. "Please, what am I supposed to say, 'Gourry, I can't sleep at night for fear of watching you die, what should I do?'" Lina sighed and looked at her cup of tea. "What I hate the most about these stupid dreams is that there's nothing I can do about them."

Filia gave Lina a reproachful look. "Lina…there are some things you shouldn't have to face alone. That's what friends and family are for."

Lina smiled at Filia slightly. "Thanks."

Filia beamed. "So, what are you planning on doing?"

"I guess I should head to Sairuun. I'm sure someone or something is causing these dreams, and I should be able to get into the royal libraries to do some research…." Lina said, leaning back in her chair.

"Um, Miss Lina…do you mind if I come with you? It's been such a long time since I've done anything really, and it would be wonderful to spend some more time together and…" Filia was cut off by Lina's raised hand.

"Sure, I don't mind….just…." Lina held out her tea cup. "Make me some tea…? This stuff's cold…" Lina said sheepishly

"Of course!" Filia jumped up and hurried to make a new pot of tea.

"Well, looks like we're off on another adventure!" Lina smiled.

"Wha--Where?" Gourry asked sleepily as he entered the room, rubbing one eye tiredly.

"We're going to Sairune jellyfish-for-brains." Lina told him as she leaned back in her chair, her hands behind her head.

Gourry woke up slightly. "Hm? Great!"

Lina smiled back at Gourry, then turned to face Filia, who was just about to sit down. "Oh, and while you're up, how about some breakfast?"

* * *

The next day on the road passed as such: Filia humming, Lina reading a book while still managing to walk and Gourry staring off into space, -though that wasn't unusual what WAS unusual was the fact that he was actually thinking.-

Overall, the day passed uneventfully except for the one bandit gang that tried to rob them, which put Lina in a considerably better mood, their charred valuables disappearing into her cape in record time.

It was with great disappointment that Lina, Gourry and Filia found themselves still a two days journey from Sairune, the nearest town, and thus forced to camp for the night.

It wasn't long before Filia drifted off to sleep after they decided shifts for keeping watch. Lina would go first, then Gourry and Filia would have the last shift.

"Lina…are you sure you don't want to sleep? I can take your watch if you want…." Gourry offered with a worried look on his face.

"I'm _fine _Gourry, just go to sleep." Lina instructed.

"All right…if you insist…" Gourry yawned and was asleep minutes later.

Lina sighed and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and resting her cheek on her knees. _I don't _want _to sleep…If I do….Who knows what will happen…the dreams have only been getting worse, and I really don't want to have to go through that again…._ Lina stifled a yawn. _Ugh, but I'm so tired…Maybe if I just close my eyes for a second…. No! Must stay awake!!_

With a yelp, Lina shot to her feet. _What _was_ that?!_

Another power surge shot through the forest, rippling the trees and sending shivers down Lina's spine.

"Wha--What is that?!" Filia jumped too her feet and looked around.

Gourry too stood up abruptly. "Lina?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Even if Gourry couldn't feel it, and the aura was so powerful Lina doubted he _didn't _feel it, Lina and Filia could.

A dark cloud of miasma was gathering to the east, and a positively terrifying presence was coming from the cloud. There were only a few things that could send of that kind of power, and none of them very friendly.

Lina swallowed and prepared to fight, Filia nervously gripped her mace and Gourry's hand drifted automatically to the hilt of his sword.

There was no doubt about it; something evil was coming.

* * *

**A/N: **

Syerrah: REVIEW!! PLEASE!! We need to know if you people are going to want us to finish this story, otherwise we'll get that off our shoulders and continue with our lives.

Angela: PLEASE review! It helps us so much! Reviews are our brand of heroin! -Twilight reference-

Olivia: Please, if it's not to much trouble....could you review...? We'd really appriciate it!!

Reina: If you don't review I'll rip your throats out and turn your stomach inside out. -smirk-

Angela: Erm....Rei...please don't......

Julia: That's right Rei-chan!!!Don't hurt the innocent humans! They _review, _they've done nothing wrong! ....Yet.....Not reviewing is wrong.....

Syerrah: Review or we won't hold Reina back!!!


	5. The Only Option Left

**Disclaimer:**

Julia: The only thing that resides inside our belongingness is everything but the all of our ownership which is most definitely not belonging to anyone other than the reasonable possession of ours and even that may indeed be belonging to the other one who owns it, who is actually not us. **n.n**

Syerrah: Uh...not exactly sure what she just said....But...uhm....We don't own Slayers.

**Author's Note:**

All: *hides*

Syerrah: Okay, okay, okay....We KNOW that this chapter is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY late.

Angela: SORRY!! SORRY!! SORRY! We got a new computer, and the bit of the story we HAD typed up was on the old computer....and we didn't want to start over again...

Syerrah: And then when we finally got the file on the new computer...

Julia: We tried to type some up, but....

Angela: There's no word program on here!! There was a trial version of Microsoft Office 2007, but that expired when our sister used it for her college homework...

Syerrah: Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!

Angela:...And now we have to upload the story to and type it on the Edit/Preview of the document setting...!

Syerrah: Anyway, on with the story!!

**When You Sell Your Soul**

**Chapter Five:**

**The Only Option Left.**

"Lina? Wh-what _is _that?" Filia asked, her voice trembling.

Lina shook her head., "How the hell should _I _know?!"

"Well, I don't think it's coming to have a nice chat." Gourry said, drawing his sword. Lina grimaced as she glanced at his sword out of the corner of her eye. There really was no replacement for the Sword of Light.

Another power wave rippled toward them; nearly a dozen trees nearby fell over from the sheer force of it. Filia squeaked when the shock wave hit them; Lina was thrown back nearly three feet before she regained her footing, but Filia merely dug her feet into the ground and held her ground. Y'know, with her over 500 pounds of Golden Dragon weight. Gourry similarly braced himself and stayed in place.

They had just managed to right themselves when the third power wave hit. Lina's shriek was short lived, cut off as the wind threw her into a tree. Gourry quickly dug his sword into the ground before he could be blown backward. This power wave was so powerful, poor Filia flew backwards into the forest with a scream. Another scream was heard from Filia as she reappeared in the clearing in Xelloss' arms, a horrified look on her face.

"Ugh, Lina groaned as she slid down to the ground, finally released from the pressure of the blast.

"Xelloss! What are you doing here?! And hey--put me down!" Filia yelled and tried to wiggle out his grasp.

"As you wish." Xelloss promptly leg go of Filia and she dropped the ground with a thud and a crunch.

"Ouch! That hurt!" She glared up at Xelloss, who was floating cross-legged in mid-air. "What was that for?!"

"Quiet both of you!" Lina snapped as Xelloss opened his mouth to retort.

"Wait, what's Xelloss doing here?" Gourry asked as he stumbled over to Lina, face streaked with dirt.

"Good question Gourry, but I have a better one: What in the name of Shabranigdo, Cepheid and the Lord of Nightmares _is_ that thing?" Lina demanded, pointing to the large cloud.

Xelloss opened his eyes and examined the cloud. "I'll give you a hint; it's one of the names you just said."

Lina stared at Xelloss, the color draining from her face. "It-It can't be…." Cepheid: Putting off that kind of aura? No way. The Lord of Nightmares: In this world? Not likely; she, Lina, -the only person to have called upon the Lord of Nightmares' power in known history- certainly didn't use the Giga Slave, so that option was out. So then…that left Shabranigdo: Probably.

_It can't be….But….It _has _to be…But the aura is too powerful! _She'd had the feeling that it was Shabranigdo from the beginning, but had been trying to convince herself that it wasn't possible. But if Xelloss wasn't lying to them, and he never did, then Lord Ruby Eye Shabranigdo had indeed been awakened.

"Xelloss," Lina said sharply, "how did this piece get awakened?"

"Lina, that's a secret." Xelloss said tonelessly and Lina nodded; she had expected as much.

"Wait, what?" Gourry asked.

Xelloss winced and dropped his head into his hands. "I've said too much." He murmured, rubbing his temples.

Gourry opened his mouth to ask something, but Lina cut him off. "Xelloss is a Mazoku; he serves Beastmaster Zelas, one of the three remaining servants of Shabranigdo. Indirectly, he, too, serves Ruby-Eye himself."

"But that doesn't--" Gourry tried to speak, but this time Xelloss cut him off.

"Currently I'm bending Lord Ju-ou-sama's orders. During the Phibrizo incident, I was ordered to keep Lina and her friends alive. I haven't been ordered to kill any of you. Yet." Xelloss raised his head slightly and stared directly at Lina, as if trying to warn her that the order was coming. Which it was.

Filia stared at Xelloss, a confused look on her face, her Dragon instincts telling her Xelloss was an enemy and that he was lying, but common sense was telling her that Xelloss _never _lied, and must be helping them. "You…aren't fighting against us? If that _is _Shabranigdo, then…shouldn't you be following him and…not worrying about us?"

Xelloss was silent for a few moments. "I have to desire to destroy any of you." He said so quietly Lina wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear it or not. "But," he said louder, "if Beastmaster orders me to fight you, I will have no choice."

"Thanks Xelloss." Lina smiled gratefully.

Filia was still staring in shock at Xelloss --it was hard to suddenly take Xelloss from the 'Evil' category and place him in the 'maybe friendly' category-- when she suddenly screamed and started to convulse, holding her head in her hands.

"Filia?" Gourry asked as Lina's eyes snapped to Filia's face.

"Uhn…" Filia convulsed one last time and started to fall sideways, but Xelloss caught her before she could hit the ground.

"She's fine, the demonic aura is simply getting to be too much for her." Xelloss assured them.

"Hmm, a Mazoku tenderly holding a Golden Dragon, how utterly….disgusting." A harsh voice mocked from somewhere in the trees.

Xelloss stiffened and his eyes snapped open and Lina's whole body tensed up as they all turned to face the direction the voice came from.

A man stepped into the clearing, his black shaggy hair partly covering his eyes and his pale skin seemingly glowing in the faint firelight. He wore a dark red sleeveless turtleneck and a pair of loose black pants. His head was lowered just enough so that his hair shadowed his eyes, but it was clear that he was smirking.

Xelloss instantly dropped to one knee, even though Filia was still cradled in his arms. "Lord Ruby-Eye-sama." He said respectfully.

Lina's eyes widened. That's _Shabranigdo?! How?!_

Shabranigdo tilted his head to one side slightly, "Tell me, Xelloss. Why are you holding a Golden Dragon in your arms? I honestly can't think of any reason."

"Well, it seems that she's been knocked unconscious by your aura." Xelloss bowed lower.

"But why is she in your presence and not dead?" Shabranigdo's head was still tilted slightly to on side and he now had a slightly sadistic smile on his face.

There was a pause, and then Xelloss responded. "Lord Beastmaster has forbidden me from harming Lina Inverse or any of her friends. This dragon falls into that category. I'd be withholding information, however, if I did not admit that I've become fond of toying with her."

"Ah, so that's it. As much as you enjoy her company, I am afraid I cannot." Lina stared in horror as Shabranigdo raised his left hand and a ball of red began to gather.

Xelloss bowed lower still -an amazing feat, actually, as his nose was already nearly touching the ground- and spoke, almost begging. "Lord Ruby-Eye, I was wondering…" he hesitated.

"Yes?" Shabranigdo raised his eyebrow coldly.

"Ugh…" Filia's eyelids fluttered open; Xelloss hesitated for a split-second and the continued.

"Well, I was wondering if it would be possible for me to keep her around as a bit of entertainment….?" He said very quietly. The ball of energy Shabranigdo had gathered flickered and died.

"Xelloss, what're you trying to--" Filia tried to sit up and wiggle out of Xelloss' grasp, but he only tightened his grip and covered her mouth with his hand.

Shabranigdo stood there, debating, for a few seconds. "Very well; you have been most loyal in the past and I suppose allowing you too keep this small toy shouldn't cause too much trouble. You may keep her -- for now, that is." He grinned and his perfectly white teeth glittered in the pale light. "Though I won't stand her company another minute; get her out of my sight before I change my mind."

"Thank you Lord Shabranigdo." Xelloss bowed once more, and with a yelp of protest from Filia, he disappeared.

"Now that that's taken care of…" Shabranigdo turned to face Lina and Gourry. "If I'm not mistaken, you're Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev, correct?" He didn't wait for an answer instead he just kept talking. "And that means that you are responsible for destroying another piece of myself. However, I must warn you, I will not be as easy to take out."

Lina fixed her hard gaze on his smug face and began to chant. "_Lord of the Four Worlds, grant me all the power you posses…."_

"Oh, amplification? That is not going to be enough you know. As I said, I'm much more powerful than you realize."

Lina's talismans stopped glowing and she lowered her arms. "Oh? And you can read my mind, yes? You know how accurately I'm gauging you power level?"

His smirk turned into a sneer. "Trust me, you won't have perceived this. I have three pieces of Shabranigdo within me."

Lina and Gourry's faces were identical masks of shock. "H-how?" Lina demanded.

"Shall I tell you a story?

"My actual name is Falgorr Metazo; at least, that's the name of the man whose body this was.

"You see, Falgorr was born with two pieces of Shabranigdo in him -as unusual as that is- and he knew this; he knew one day I would be awakened and that I would destroy this world. He wanted that 'someday' to become 'now'." Shabranigdo-Falgorr's smirk became an evil sneer.

"So he began to research Shabranigdo, and he found a legend about an enchanted ring that had certain…..unique properties. Its function was very intriguing to Falgorr: the ring, called the Raslé, acted as a funnel. Given enough time and power, it would release the darkness inside the wearer. Another fun fact is that the ring, powerful as it was, also had a piece of Shabranigdo inside it. When Falgorr used the power of the ring, it released the three pieces of Ruby-Eye Shabranigdo connected to it: the two in Falgorr himself, and the one in the ring." Shabranigdo's lip curled, showing his pointed teeth.

"Now, I suppose you're curious as to how Falgorr got the power to use the Raslé? It's quite simple really: negative emotions. They have amazing power, negative emotions, and when used properly, could theoretically destroy this planet." Falbranigdo smiled pleasantly. "The emotions all came from one person." He said in a deathly quiet whisper, starting at Lina much like an eagle stars at its meal before it rips it apart in its powerful beak and eats it. "And it took just three months."

"Lina," Gourry said sharply, "How long have you been having those nightmares?"

"S-since the defeat of Darkstar." Lina whispered weakly, the truth dawning on her. "But….you're kidding me. You're telling me--"

Shabragordo laughed coldly. "Yes, Lina. _You _were the source of the negative emotions that resurrected me. To be more specific, the dreams you've been having of your friends dying are about to become reality because of how much they terrified you."

"And just what are you going to do now that you are 'awake'?" Lina demanded, ignoring a wave of panic. _Come Lina, don't be a wuss. You've done this before. _

_Yeah, against ONE piece of Shabranigdo -it barely worked then-, not THREE._

_**But you still have to do it, so buck up Lina. **_The sorceress told herself firmly.

"I don't plan to destroy the world just yet; 'that ship has sailed', as the term goes. Therefore, until that ship returns, I just want to cause panic, mayhem and destruction, on a smaller scale." He began to laugh again.

"So you came after me because you knew I'd try and stop you?" Lina tossed out casually.

"A bit of that. I do intend to bring you under control. However, no, the main reason I'm here is a rather amusing one. I was awakened by your negative emotions: fear, pain and anguish, among other things; I have become addicted to your pain and suffering. I intend to keep you around to that I can enjoy those emotions." Falgorbingdo leered, raising his had to cast a spell.

"Not while I'm here." Gourry firmly took a step in front of Lina. "You're not getting anywhere near Lina while I'm here."

Falbragorr paused in the middle of his chant. "Do you really think you can stop me from getting my way?"

"Gourry…" Lina cautioned quietly.

"Lina," Gourry said with is back still to her, "I promised you that I would protect you for the rest of my life. That includes from Falgabingorr."

If it wasn't such a serious situation, Lina would have laughed.

Shabrafaldo actually sweat dropped, and Lina swore he looked like he was about to face plant. "Falgabingorr? What?" he asked, twitching slightly.

"It's a valid question. Are you 'Shabragor' or 'Falgabingo'?" Lina stared at him, chocking back a small chuckle.

The Dark Lord just looked blankly back at them. "I-well…" He almost looked confused. "Just Falgorr will work fine.…"

Lina shrugged. "Well, it doesn't really matter…Still, it's nice to know what to put on your headstone if I decide to take the time to make one." She smirked, not showing how occupied she was trying to piece together a plan.

"Oh? Confident are you? We'll see how long that lasts." Falgorr smiled and before Lina could even think of a spell to use, red and black lasers were shooting at them.

Lina muffled a scream as the lasers went through her, piercing her skin in multiple places. _Ugh, tiny lasers HURT._ She thought as she wiped blood from her mouth. From the corner of her eyes, Lina could see Gourry grimacing in pain, a little bloody, but otherwise okay.

"So, Lina. I have a proposition. Care to hear it?" Falgorr asked tauntingly, more lasers floating around his outstretched hand. "Or do you want to feel more pain…?"

"How about neither?" Lina snarled, steadying herself.

"How about not." Falgorr smiled and raised his hand, the darts disappearing. He clenched his fist and Lina heard a slight chocking sound.

Gourry was floating two feet above the ground, trying to pull an invisible hand away from his throat, his sword lying on the ground next to him.

Lina reacted without thinking; she picked up Gourry's sword and threw it furiously at Falgorr, who was so surprised he lost his concentration.

Gourry dropped to the ground and coughed. "Thanks Lina." He rasped, still trying to breathe through is nearly crushed windpipe.

"You're so lively, little Firefly." Falgorr chuckled.

"Little…what?!" Lina stuttered indignantly. "Who're you calling a little firefly?!"

"Now, Lina, listen carefully." Falgorr snapped his fingers and Lina felt her body freeze against her own will. She fell to her knees and saw Gourry next to her in the same position. "I'm going to offer you a deal: you can either join me, serve me, until I destroy this world…" He paused.

Lina glared as best as she could. "Do you know how many times countless Mazoku have offered me that? A lot. Do you know how many times I've agreed? Never. What makes you think I'll join you?!" she demanded.

"Ah; I expected that. I guess I'll try this Phibrizo's way." Falgorr grinned.

Lina's face went white. "Y-You wouldn't." she whispered hoarsely.

His only response was to clench his right hand into a fist and raise it to eye level.

"No...!" Lina whisper shrieked as Gourry tensed up and began to wince repeatedly, all the color draining form his face. "No! No, no, no! Gourry, _no!_" Lina yelled, her voice dry and her throat soar. "Stop! No, don't!!"

"Don't stop..?" Falgorr smirked, his eyes dancing with maniac delight.

"_Stop!_ Don't kill him..! Stop...." She began to tremble, her voice thick with sobs.

"Do we have an agreement then? You serve me and I don't kill him?" Falgorr's blood red eyes were glinting again.

Lina let out a chocked sob. "I can't.."

Falgorr raised his other hand and a blast of red fire hit Gourry. Though there was no actual burns, Gourry yelped in pain and it looked like he was having a seizure. "No!" Lina half screamed, half sobbed. "I'll do it! _Stop..._" she dropped to her knees, her head in her hands.

"Hah!" Falgorr broke into triumphant laughter and Gourry dropped to the ground, moaning weakly. "You'll do it?" He asked eagerly, his face twisted into an evil grin.

Lina nodded slowly, unable to keep a pitiful whimper from escaping. Her head hurt, her body hurt and her chest was throbbing with unimaginable pain, but Lina knew that it was the only option left. Without Gourry at least alive, whether or not she would be with him, Lina wouldn't be able to endure life.

_What are you doing?! _A voice in the back of Lina's head demanded; a voice that sounded like a strange mix between her own and Luna's.

_I don't know; all I know is that if I don't, Gourry dies. And I can't let that happen._ She thought back furiously. _I can't let that happen..._

_But even if he's still alive, _you're_ going to be serving Falgorr! What's the point?_ The other, more reasonable voice asked.

_The point is that he'll be alive!_ The not-so wise voice choked out. Before the voice-of-reason could respond, there was a loud scream and Lina's head snapped up. "That's--!"

Sure enough, charging into the clearing was Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune, followed closely by Zelgadis. "Miss Lina! Mister Gourry!" She squeaked, terrified.

"Amelia?" Lina croaked, trying to focus her bleary eyes.

"Lina, what happened?!" Zel asked, concern on his usually passive face.

Amelia's eyes kept darting from Lina to Gourry to Falgorr. "Lina, who..?!"

Falgorr's eyes lit up. "Ah, company...!This makes things more interesting, don't you think Lina? Are going to tell them, or should I? Or maybe...I should just kill them...?" his smirk grew and he raised one hand threateningly.

Zel just managed to grab Amelia's shoulder before she could try and attack Falgorr. "Lina, who is he?" Zel narrowed his eyes and it was clear that he meant business.

Lina bowed her head again, ashamed. "Falgorr," she said quietly, "has three pieces of Shabranigdo in him."

"Y-you're kidding, right?" Amelia asked, frightened. "H-how is that possible...? I mean...."

Lina shook her head and struggled to contain her tears, keeping her head low so that Zel and Amelia wouldn't see her crying. "I- There's no way I can beat him." she whispered.

"But-You...Even...?" Amelia didn't dare finish her sentence; Zel tightened his grip on Amelia's shoulder unconsciously, knowing the answer.

Lina shook her head slowly. "That barely worked against one piece; there's no way I'm going to use that with such a low chance of succeeding. Besides..."

"...We already have a deal, right?" Falgorr finished for her with a sneer, having remained silent thus far, watching in mild amusement.

"Lina, what's he talking about?" Zel growled sharply.

"I- I'm sorry..." Lina mumbled.

"Lina..." Amelia whispered, the truth dawning on her. Her blue eyes widened into horrified orbs. "You didn't...You _wouldn't_..."

Lina shook her head furiously. "I didn't have a choice." She spat, glaring at Falgorr through her bangs. He merely smirked back at her. Hatred filled Lina, so great that she felt like she might burst. She was beyond seeing red; the only thing she could see was Falgorr's infuriating smirk and his laughing red eyes. She wasn't even this mad when Phibrizo had kidnapped Gourry, or even when he used Gourry against them as a puppet. For the first time in her life, Lina wanted to kill, to see blood running over the ground like water in a flood, for Falgorr to cry and beg for mercy; she wanted to cause pain.

The force of her desire almost scared Lina, but she brushed aside her fear: fear was one of the emotions that Mazoku enjoyed most, and Lina certainly wasn't going to satisfy Falgorr by playing into his hands.

"Lina! How could you?!" Zel stared, appalled, at Lina, his eyes filled with disgust. "I thought I knew you...!"

"It's not like I gave the silly girl much of a choice." Falgorr said calmly, his soft voice smugly pleased. "Hellmaster Phibrizo knew Lina Inverse's one weakness: her heart. He threatened to kill Gourry to get his way, and I found that it's surprisingly easy to get her to do what you want when that human is in danger."

"Th-then...He was going to--?" Amelia gasped in horror, glancing between Gourry and Falgorr's gleaming fang-showing smile.

Lina nodded slowly and tried to still her trembling.

"Uhn.." Gourry groaned and tried to sit up, finally conscious again. "What--?"

Falgorr snapped his fingers; Gourry flew backwards into a tree, knocking him out again. "We can't have you interfering and making Lina change her mind, now can we?"

Lina's hands balled into fists; she gritted her teeth and growled in warning.

Falgorr sighed. "All right, all right; we did agree that I wouldn't harm him." he turned his blood colored eyes towards Amelia and Zelgadis. "_They _however, are not protected by such promises."

"Wha--?" Lina yelped as a wave of energy knocked Amelia backwards into Zel, sending them both crashing to the ground. Lina lept to her feet, eyes burning with rage. "You son of a--!" she cursed, her face, despite the tear streaks, was so furious that any lesser man probably would have cowered in fear.

Falgorr ignored her, a black lance of lightning shooting from his palm and sliced through Zelgadis' abdomen as a black mist enveloped Amelia. There was a high pitched scream, and then a series of whimpering shrieks.

Lina's eyes flashed and Falgorr actually balked at the look she was giving him; he looked like a child being reprimanded for being too rough with a favorite toy that was not theirs. "Don't. You. **_Dare._**" She snarled, a wild wind gathering around her.

Falgorr sighed and the mist around Amelia cleared to reveal the young girl seeting on her knees, hands down by her sides with several cuts covering her body and an eerily blank look on her face. "I suppose I can allow you one minute with each of them to say your good-byes." He grumbled, folding his arms in annoyance from being denied his fun.

Lina glared at him for one more second, then turned and ran over to Amelia and Zel, her face changing from furious anger to apprehension and sorrow as soon as her eyes left Falgorr. "Amelia! Snap out of it!" Lina grabbed Amelia by the shoulders and shook her gently, her face worried.

After a few seconds pause, Amelia's eyes snapped back into focus. "L-Lina?" she asked, confused, as the red-headed girl pulled Amelia into a quick hug.

"Amelia, promiss me something." She whispered, desperate.

"O-of course...!" the younger girl suddenly looked more serious than Lina had ever seen her -though still slightly confused-, and her years of experience showed in her eyes: She was no longer the naive little girl Lina had first met; she was a princess who had seen and done things that most royalty probably thought to be impossible, taken over the work of a crown princess when she was less than ten, and lived through more assassination attempts and Mazoku attacks than should be allowed for someone not even twenty years of age.

Lina took a deep, shuddering breath as she forced a smile onto her face. "Take care of Jelly-fish brains for me. Take him back to Saillune and protect him; keep him safe. For me."

"L-Lina..." Amelia's voice broke and she began to sob.

"Just promiss me, Amelia." Lina pleaded, her ruby eyes filling with tears all over again.

"I-I promiss...But--"

"Amelia, there's no other option. Falgorr is too strong. I'm sorry, but this is the only thing I can do." Lina turned to Zel and was surprised to see that, despite the rather large gash in his side, he was concious and his eyes were focused on her with calm understanding.

"Lina. Do what you need to. But don't give up hope." He said softly, then gave her a slight smile. "And don't blame yourself, like I know you're doing. When something like this happens, it will happen no matter what."

Lina hugged Zel thankfully. "I know....And I'm still sorry." She murmured in his ear, then pulled back and whipped her eyes, trying to smile. Trying and failing.

"Time's up, Lina. You have a minute with Gourry and then we leave." Falgorr reminded her boredly.

Lina gave Zelgadis and Amelia one last pleading look and then scrambled over to where her fallen companion leaned against a tree. "Gourry, wake up, _please._" She sniffled, lifting his face and casting a Recovery spell on him. "Gourry, please."

"Hhn? Lina?" Gourry sat up abruptly, then winced in pain and clutched his head. Before he could say anything else, Lina wrapped her arms around him and burried her face in his neck. "Lina?"

"Gourry, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. Zel and Amelia will explain..." She mumbled, still crying. "I don't have a lot of time anyway, but Gourry...Just..." Lina pulled away and looked up at his face.

Shock coursed through Gourry as he saw tears on Lina's cheeks. Never, in all the years he'd known her, had Gourry _ever _seen Lina cry. "Lina, what is it?" He whispered, putting one hand on her cheek.

Lina closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. Gourry opened his mouth to say something, but Lina's lips on his cut him off. After a second of shock, he kissed her back, winding his arms around her gently.

Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over.

"I love you Gourry, and I'm sorry that- that I never told you before. But I love you, and that won't change." Lina said softly, tears pouring down her face as she hugged him tighter.

"Time's up." Falgorr called harshly, teleporting to where Lina and Gourry sat. He reached down and pulled Lina to her feet roughly, holding her arm in a vice like grip. The last thing Lina saw before Falgorr teleported them away was Gourry's tear filled eyes, staring at her in comprehending horror.

Then they were gone.

* * *

Syerrah: Woot!! And there's the chapter!

Angela: Yeah...depressing, isn't it? We did promise a happy ending, so don't worry. PLEASE review.

Syerrah: Anyone who reviews will get a special preview of the next chapter!! AND a Hershy's kiss!!! :D


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